Count On Me
by OuMiyuki
Summary: Every one of us holds a side not commonly shown to others. Everyone sees your long-time friend, Kousaka Honoka as that cheerful, always ready to lend a hand and couldn't possibly be not smiling girl. Even you. But one fateful day, you noticed. Noticed that it wasn't the case and Honoka is so much more, so much more that you can't leave her alone. Can you make Honoka count on you?


Summary: Every one of us holds a side not commonly shown to others.

Everyone sees your long-time friend, Kousaka Honoka as that cheerful, always ready to lend a hand and couldn't possibly be not smiling girl. Even you.

But one fateful day, you noticed. Noticed that it wasn't the case and Honoka is so much more, so much more that you can't leave her alone.

However, Honoka is used to carrying everything on her shoulders herself. Can you make Honoka count on you?

(Friendship, Drama, Romance)

 **Author Notes**

 **A prompt-challenge from EAnIL-san, which is a long time coming. Sorry for the wait! :)**

 **Challenge says it has to be from Nozomi's POV. May you enjoy. :)**

 _ **Italics**_ **are thoughts and flashbacks scenes.**

Ch1 – That Girl Who's Always Smiling

* * *

Click. The light flutters on as Toujou Nozomi presses the switch for the living room's lights, she just dried off her hair with the blow dryer and she now stands in her small and silent house alone. The same one she lived in during her high school days as it was close to where she works now. She lets out an involuntary sigh and lets her legs that had been standing for most of today at work bring her to the low shelves beside the television.

 _A common scene… How lonesome._

The twenty-four year old sits on the floor as she pulls out a small maroon photo album, hands running over the rough and bumpy texture a hard cover album has. She does not have to worry about dust on the cover as this album is something she opens rather often; at least five times a week is often, is it not.

 _I'd rather see her in the flesh… But she's avoiding everyone with being busy with work as her excuse…_

Turquoise eyes lingered where her fingers trace the protruding letters she engraved on the photo album: H, O, N, O, K, A. Longing turquoise eyes read the name five times in her head.

"That girl is so troublesome." Nozomi murmurs, a smile on her lips and she opens the album.

* * *

Earlier in the day at Kanda Shrine, a purplenette in her early twenties, hair in a single low ponytail by an orange polka dot scrunchy and dressed in a shrine maiden uniform holds a traditional wooden broom meant for sweeping roads stand by the front of the shrine carrying out her duties.

 _Another peaceful day here at Kanda Shrine…guess my life decision to be a full time shrine maiden is a good choice._

Nozomi giggles softly to herself but shakes her head at the thought. The way she put it seemed like she made a lot of bad life choices, and that can't be right when she has a roof over her head, a tight-knit group of friends, she's sociable with her co-worker, which also means she has a stable, sufficient paying job, and she's healthy.

 _If only I made some other choices differently…_

The shrine maiden shakes her head yet again as she reminds herself to move her hands, stepping closer to where the stairway are she gets to sweeping again, slow, rhythmic brushes. It didn't take long for her to be distracted again as her calm turquoise eyes took in the familiar flight of staircase she stood before, and the feeling turned to nostalgia as memories of high school returned to the fore front of her mind.

 _An array of running footsteps hit the ground at the finishing point and the stairs itself as nine girls did their best in their morning run. Nozomi wasn't the fittest but she managed to reach the shrine faster than those who happen to not be fitter than her._

 _Already done with panting and now steadying her breath, she looks over to where an energetic, unmistakable voice of their idol group's leader sounds._

" _Alright! I'm faster than Kotori-chan, Nico-chan and Hanayo-chan this time!" A slight pause. "We've gotta keep doing better! And faster!" Another pause. "I gotta defeat Umi-chan after all!"_

 _Umi chuckles, a hand to her hip, a proud smile on and she doesn't look like she sweated much, at least it wasn't as much as Nozomi or Honoka. "If that day comes Honoka, I'll even reward you."_

" _Prepare yourself, Umi-chan! I will defeat you!" Those pause again. "Let's all do our best in practicing, okay everyone?" Honoka smiles brightly, a fist pumped into the air._

 _Needless to say, all eight girls cheered along, rallied and motivated by their leader's high spirits and seemingly endless flow of energy despite panting and huffing and complaining a little after the run up the staircase to Kanda Shrine._

 _At that point of time, no one noticed that Honoka was pushing herself to bring forth those bouts of positivity and energy for the group, even though she might have just wanted to plop on the ground and rest in silence. She felt like she had a role to do. She still does._

Nozomi now looks sadly at the staircase leading to the shrine she works in, berating herself in a quiet voice. "And I say I'm good at noticing others…"

 _How did I miss the tiredness in her eyes?_

Nozomi thinks back to the past, thinks back to how there were actually many occasions when the constantly smiling gingerhead's clear blue eyes cloud over with exhaustion, tired from keeping up facades and unnatural energy levels.

 _How did I not notice that she was observing everyone and putting on forced smiles instead of that behaviour being easy and natural?_

Those pauses in between the Leader of Muse's speech were never because she was catching her breath from a run or dance practice, it was always to observe each of her friends. She took note of each and everyone's enthusiasm levels, moods, problems, before she decides how much positivity she believes is needed to be filled _by her_.

 _There's thoughtful…and we have_ _ **very**_ _thoughtful from Honoka-chan…to the point that she…_

* * *

Nozomi flips another page of the photo album HONOKA, she takes in all of Honoka, not the ones with the lovable sunshine smile, they were pictures of Honoka with an uncharacteristic solemn expression. Eyebrows furrowed slightly, lips a set line or a small frown, and at times her beautiful, endless blue were hidden behind her eyelids or hands, but when in view…those blue eyes felt so distant, far off, cold. As the gingerhead seemed to be in deep thought.

 _Honoka-chan isn't the happy go lucky girl everyone labels her to be._

Nozomi traces the outline of Honoka's figure, one where she was watching a class reunion party by the wall, contemplating whether she needed to be more involved and noisy, or if she could just stand around observing. Nozomi already found out about Honoka's serious side to her during this event last year, and so she was watching the gingerhead with growing interest, and capturing pictures of this Honoka which makes her unable to look away.

 _I love this part of Honoka. No, I love everything of Honoka._

Nozomi's grin pulled higher as she gazed upon the serious looking gingerhead.

 _Me knowing this part makes me more drawn to her, however. To think that I've fallen in love with my junior._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

 **And so it begins. OvO**

 **As the prompt-challenge goes, it's supposed to start post high school through college before Nozomi and Honoka gets jobs. :3 But I'm gonna try a new style while I'm trying so many new things from this prompt-challenge already – which is a non-linear story telling. At least a bit. As we've seen in this chapter: Nozomi after work to Back at work, and to Nozomi looking at the pictures again. Other chapters would have us going back to college too for more backstories. :)**

 **I hope the beginning is to your liking EAnIL-san! :D**

 **Leave me comments to know how y'all feel about this story! XD Feedbacks are always helpful in improving my writing! :D See you!**


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